Dear Heaven Explained

Native Name:
Hangul:하늘이시여
Rr:Haneurisiyeo
Lk:Dear Sky
Country:South Korea
Language:Korean
Executive Producer:Yoon Young-muk
Runtime:60 minutes
Company:Korean Broadcasting Entertainment for Satellite & Terrestrial (K-BEST), Inc.
Network:SBS TV
Num Episodes:85

Dear Heaven is a South Korean television series starring Yoon Jung-hee, Lee Tae-gon,[1] Cho Yeon-woo, Lee Soo-kyung, and Wang Bit-na. It aired on SBS TV from September 10, 2005, to July 2, 2006, on Saturdays and Sundays at 20:45 for 85 episodes.

According to AGB Nielsen Media Research, it was the 5th highest rated TV program in Korea for the year 2006, with an average rating of 28.3%, and a peak rating of 44.5%.[2]

The popular soap opera invited both criticism and high ratings for its provocative plot. The story revolved around a middle-aged woman who introduces her handsome news anchor stepson to her abandoned daughter, who had led a miserable life because of a cruel stepmother. It triggered controversy when the woman was revealed as the girl's biological mother. Viewers were divided on whether it was "immoral" and "incestuous" or a fresh take on relationship dramas, but director Lee Young-hee insisted that the show's theme was "deep maternal love, with a mother reclaiming her own daughter as a daughter-in-law in order to atone for having abandoned her as a baby."[3]

Plot

When she was very young, Ji Young-sun (Han Hye-sook) gave away her baby Lee Ja-kyung after giving birth to her. She later remarries and creates a new family, but soon after, her husband dies, leaving her behind with her stepson Gu Wang-mo (Lee Tae-gon), and her daughter Gu Seul-ah (Lee Soo-kyung).

Now grown and a makeup artist, Lee Ja-kyung (Yoon Jung-hee) finds herself adrift with loneliness since her foster parents died when she was a child. She fell in love with her step-uncle but his family shuns her, dashing away any hopes of being with him. Deciding to focus on her career and find a new love, she meets Wang-mo, a TV news anchor.

Young-sun has been searching for the daughter whom she had abandoned in her youth. As if guided by the hand of fate, she discovers that Ja-kyung is already going out with Young-sun's own stepson, Wang-mo. In order to keep her secret daughter by her side, Young-sun does everything in her power to marry Ja-kyung to Wang-mo, and eventually succeeds. The two women form a curious double relationship, as at once mother/daughter and mother-in-law/daughter-in-law.

Cast

Gu family
Kang family
Lee family
Extended cast

Awards

2005 SBS Drama Awards

2006 SBS Drama Awards

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lovebirds. The Dong-a Ilbo. 2013-04-20. 16 March 2006. 2007-10-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20071013114219/http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2006031658478. live.
  2. Web site: Dramas Sweep the Top 10 Ratings List. https://archive.today/20130702223412/http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/entertainment_news_view.html?No=421. dead. 2 July 2013. KBS Global. 2013-04-20. 5 February 2007.
  3. Web site: New SBS Drama Sparks Morality Controversy Even Before Its First Episode Airs. The Dong-a Ilbo. 2013-04-20. 8 September 2005. 2014-11-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20141113061247/http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=130000&biid=2005090868338. live.
  4. Web site: Yoon Jung-hee Overcame Her Fears on Way to Blissful. The Chosun Ilbo. 2013-04-20. 9 March 2007. 2014-08-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20140819090830/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/03/09/2007030961029.html. live.
  5. Web site: Oh. Jean. Youthful drama targets weekend audience. The Korea Herald. 2013-04-20. 2 October 2008. 2022-07-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20220705145705/http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20081003000048. live.
  6. Web site: Chung. Ah-young. Broadcasters Award Top-Rated Dramas. The Korea Times via Hancinema. 2013-04-20. 1 January 2007. 2008-09-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20080907001227/http://www.hancinema.net/broadcasters-award-top-rated-dramas-8230.html. live.